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Conan the Magnificent
article is in the process of being completed by Wapitikev, Feb 21, 2014 is a Conan novel by Robert Jordan, first published in 1984 by Tor books. The fifth of the Jordan Conan novels and the second story to be set during the time the Cimmerian was a thief in Zamora, it is generally accepted to take place prior to the first one, Conan the Invincible. Synopsis In the south-western spur of the Kezankian mountains separating Brythunia from Zamora, one of the hundreds of wandering holy-men of the Kezankians is drawing the normally war-like tribes together to witness a miracle of "the ancient gods." The True Gods of earth, air, fire and water led Basrakan Imallah deep into the bowels of the earth to a clutch of fire-drake eggs. With blasphemous knowledge of the thaumatergical arts, Basrakan managed to hatch one of the nine eggs and bind the infant creature to his will, albeit imperfectly. Now, with an avatar of the fire god under his command, Basrakan preaches a holy war against the plains-dwellers of Zamora and Brythunia. Unfortunately, as the creature grows, his hold on it weakens. In secret, Basrakan has agents searching for two huge rubies, The Eyes of Fire, that will grant him complete control over all nine dragons. With them, he can complete his unification of the hill-tribes and lead them to conquest over all who would oppose him. As Basrakan finishes a spectacle where his dragon kills four Brythunians, he receives word that his spies have located the Eyes of Fire. They are in the possession of House Perashanid of Shadizar. In the city of Shadizar, in the land of Zamora, Conan is stealing across the rooftops bound for the house of Samarides the gem-merchant. Accepting a commission from the spice merchant Barastes, Conan intends to steal a goblet carved from a single huge emerald from Samarides' mansion. Almost killing himself to gain access to the place, Conan is beaten to his prize by a female thief calling herself Lyana. To discourage him from using her rope to escape, Lyana casts a black throwing knife at the Cimmerian. When he jumps back to avoid the projectile, she makes good her escape. Narrowly escaping from Samarides and his guards by going out the front door, Conan vows to avenge his wounded pride by beating the thief to her next prize. But first he has to find out who she is. From Abuletes, Conan learns that a thief named Jamal used knives similar to the one the girl threw at Conan...until he was beheaded by the City Guard a decade ago. Jamal had a daughter and two brothers, Gayan and Hafid, who took the orphaned girl in. They were thieves as well and used clothing and tools similar to what Conan saw the girl employ. The girl's name was Tamira. Conan offers a reward of two silver pieces to the city's beggars, trulls and street urchins to find the girl for him. The Lady Jondra of the House Perashanid is known in Zamora as an avid huntswoman. We see her snub the hopes of a would-be paramour by telling him that she can marry no man unless he can equal her as an archer; then she bests him at archery. After many false leads, the street urchins locate Tamira at The Red Lion Tavern and a confrontation ensues where Conan suggests that Tamira is a virgin and wants to bed her. His real plan is to have her followed from the tavern by the urchins to see where she goes and report back to Conan. A day comes and goes and Conan finds himself confronted by Barastes the spice merchant, visiting Abulete's Tavern to talk with Conan about the whereabouts of the goblet. Asking to keep their dealings private, they adjourn to Conan's small room on the second floor and, unsatisfied with Conan's explanation of events, Barastes tries to kill the Cimmerian. Conan disarms him easily and stuns him with a blow to the face. Stripping him of his purse, cloak and weapons, Conan shakes him awake and throws him out the window to the filthy alley below. Knowing that his actions will eventually bring the city guard to Abuletes, Conan arranges with the tavern-keeper to secure a horse and leave the city. As Abuletes sends a message to a man he knows, Laeta the street urchin enters and tells Conan that Tamira has been spending time at the Lady Jondra's mansion. One of the urchins saw her leave a few hours past, dressed like a serving girl, along with the rest of Lady Jondra's hunting party. Needing to leave town in any case, Conan plays a hunch that Tamira would not tag along with the noblewoman while her intended prize stays in Shadizar. Taking his new horse he sets off into the northern Zamorian wastes intent on catching up with Jondra's hunting expedition. Coming upon Jondra, cornered and alone, menaced by a pack of wolves, Conan rescues her by killing nine of them before the rest slink back into the wilderness. With both their horses dead, the pair needs to walk back to Jondra's camp. Unfortunately neither one has any water left and the Zamoran wastes offer no chance to find any. As the day stretches into afternoon, Jondra begins to fail so the Cimmerian carries her, against her weak protests. It is full night when Conan spies the fires of a camp. Not knowing or caring if it is Jondra's he staggers into camp, sets the woman on the ground and demands water, hand on his sword hilt. Assuming the worst upon seeing Jonrda's limp form dropped to the ground, Arvaneus, Jondra's Chief Huntsman, orders Conan slain. In a soft but firm voice Jondra commands her men to stop and, after taking some swallows of water, berates Arvaneus for not doing enough to try to locate her before dusk. So does Conan earn the enmity of Arvaneus. In Brythunia, in a village near the Kezankian Mountains, a young warrior named Eldran returns from the West to find his fellow villagers all bearing arms and shields. The local priestess of Wiccana, Boudanecea, takes him to her abode where Eldran's teacher in the art of the sword, Godtan, lies horribly burned and dying. He is the only surviving member of a hunting party that went, against Boudanecea's advice, to the mountains in search of the creature responsible for burning farms. When they came upon the beast, they learned to their horror that the priestess spoke true; no weapons forged by ordinary men could harm the creature. After fleeing the dragon, the remaining warriors were ambushed by hillmen. Eldran's brother, Ellandune, and two other men, Aelric and Aelfric, were taken prisoner. The rest were slain. The hillmen left Godtan for dead. Boudanecea leads Eldran to The Sacred Grove of Wiccana and, using druidic magic, opens the way for Eldran to obtain the sword called Flame Slayer. Forged by great wizards almost 3,000 years prior, to fight the beasts of fire unleashed by Acheron's foul sorcery. Empty claws on either end of the guard once held great rubies called the Eyes of Fire which gave the wielder control of the beasts. The blade is given only to the worthy and only once in their lifetime. Once it leaves the possession of the worthy, it magically returns to the mound in Wiccana's Grove and can only be granted to another after the proper ceremony is performed. Eldran accepts the priestess' benediction while making the list, in his mind, of the men he will lead into the mountains. meanwhile, back in Zamora, Arvaneus has become tired of Conan's questions and suggestions. He challenges Conan to a duel but Jondra forbids it, so Conan suggests they cast spears for money. Conan ties Arvaneus at 30 paces and at 40 paces and then beats him at 60 paces. Incensed, Arvaneus dares Conan to hit the arget at 100 paces...so he does. Not only does he win 500 pieces of silver from the Chief huntsman, Lady Jondra gives herself to the Cimmerian because she could never have made that spear-cast. Three days later Eldran and his riders meet Lady Jondra's hunting party on the Zamorian plain. In speaking with them, Jondra describes the beast that she hunts and the Brythunians recognize it as the beast of fire that they seek. Eldran tries to warn Jondra that the beast is Cannot be slain by normal means but the proud noblewoman sends them on their way. But not before Eldran outshoots Jondra with a bow, making quite an impression on her...and focusing her temper on Arvaneus and Conan. That night the Cimmerian wakes to the sound of unshod hoofs on gravel coming up the hill toward the camp. Djinar and his band of hillmen attack the hunting party as they sleep, intent on killing them all and taking the Eyes of Fire to Basrakan. Conan kills a number of them while the hunters are still waking up and helps drive them off. He then argues with Jondra, trying to convince her to turn back. The next afternoon a Zamorian cavalry company of two or three hundred riders arrives at the Hunting camp. Their commander, Lord Zathanides, insists that it is too dangerous near the mountains at this juncture and tells Jondra return to Shadizar. Characters * Conan * Basrakan - an Imalla, or holy man, among the hill tribes of the Kezankian Mountains, intent on uniting the tribes and leading a religious war against the unbelievers (city-dwellers) * Jbeil - an Imalla, first acolyte to Basrakan * Ruhallah - acolyte to Basrakan * Akkadan - hillman spy in the city of Shadizar for Basrakan, seeking the whereabouts of the Eyes of Fire * Baratses - a spice merchant of the city of Shadizar, he hires Conan to steal an emerald goblet from Samarides * Samarides - a gems merchant/importer of Shadizar * Tamira - a thief, from a family of thieves that use black silk garments, ropes and tools, a.k.a. Lyana * Abuletes - a tavern keeper of Shadizar * Jamal - Tamira's father, a thief, deceased by name only * Gayan - Tamira's uncle, retired thief by name only * Hafid - Tamira's uncle, retired thief by name only * Semiramis - a prostitute of Shadizar, working out of Abuletes' tavern. Sometimes companion of Conan...will not accept custom from him * Peor - not so blind beggar who plys his trade near the Katara Bazaar. Used to be a thief. On friendly terms with Conan. Member of the Brotherhood of the Bowl. * The Lady Jondra Perashanid - a noblewoman of Shadizar, last of the House of Perashanid, also a huntress, expert with the bow and the spear, chaste despite her age, unlike most women of Shadizar * Zurat - spear-man of Lady Jondra * Tamal- spear-man of Lady Jondra * Laeta - a young girl, leader of a gang of street urchins, nearing an age where she will no longer be able to pass for a boy, Conan gives Semiramis half a gold piece on behalf of the girl for Semiramis to take her under her wing, if Laeta so chooses. * Lady Zayella - patron who purchased Tamira's stolen emerald goblet by name only * Zarath the Kothian - fence in The Desert by name only * Lord Amaranides - aristocrat trying and failing to court Jondra * Mineus - Lady Jondra's Chief Steward * Lord Karentides - Lady Jondra's late father, a general in the Zamorian Army by name only * Camardica - Lady Jondra's late mother, Brythunian priestess of Wicanna by name only * Lady Roxana - Zamorian lady from who Tamira forged letters of reference in order to infiltrate Jondra's household staff. by name only * Arvaneus - Lady Jondra's Chief Huntsman, illegitimate son of Lord Andanezues of Shadizar * Urias - street urchin working for Laeta * Djinar - Kezankian hillman sent by Basrakan to recover the Eyes of Fire from Lady Jodra's mansion in Shadizar * Farouz - Kezankian hillman sent by Basrakan to recover the Eyes of Fire from Lady Jodra's mansion in Shadizar * Jhal - Kezankian hillman sent by Basrakan to recover the Eyes of Fire from Lady Jodra's mansion in Shadizar * Tirjas - Kezankian hillman sent by Basrakan to recover the Eyes of Fire from Lady Jodra's mansion in Shadizar * Eldran - a Brythunian, seeking vengeance for the attacks of a fire-breathing beast on his people * Boudanacea - a priestess of Wicanna, a Brythunian nature goddess * Godtan - first man of Eldran's village, Eldran's swordmaster * Ellandune - Eldran's bother, executed by Basrakan's dragon in the opening of the book * Aelric - man of Eldran's village, executed by Basrakan's dragon in the opening of the book * Aelfric - man of Eldran's village, executed by Basrakan's dragon in the opening of the book * Telades - a huntsman in Jondra's retinue, odds-maker for the spear casting contest between Conan and Arvaneus * Mardak - grizzled, squint-eyed huntsman in Jondra's retinue * Sharmal - a Kezankian hillman in Djinar's party * Zathanides - a general in the army of Zamora * Walid - a Kezankian hill man * Tenerses - a general in the army of Zamora * Fyrdan - a Brythunian,riding with Eldran * Haral - a Brythunian,riding with Eldran Locations * Kezankian Mountains' south-western spur, between Brythunia and Zamora - home to the Kezankian hill-tribes * Shadizar - city of Zamora, known as: "..the Wicked", "...of the Alabaster Towers", "...of the Golden Domes", "...city of venality and debauchery" * The house of Samarides, the gem importer/merchant * The Desert - the thieves quarter, or Maul, of of Shadizar, "a warren of crooked streets reeking of offal and despair" * The Tavern of Abuletes - one of the better taverns in The Desert * The Katara Bazaar - a large, flagstone paved square near The Desert. Beggars were not allowed in the square but were tolerated on the side-streets leading to and from it. * Red Lion Tavern - located in a craftsman district of Shadizar. The common room is in the old basement and the original main floor is now only a balcony running around the perimeter of the common room. Kitchen is still on the main floor. * The Lion Gate - north gate of Shadizar * un-named Brythunian village near the Kezankian Mountains * The Sacred Grove of Wiccana - Brythunian holy place Mystical Items * 'Eyes of Fire - ' two huge rubies with the ability to grant their owner control over dragons * 'Flame Slayer - '''blade, blessed by Wiccana in the time of Acheron, for killing dragons Publication history * '' (novel) • Robert Jordan • Tor May 1984 Category:Conan book Category:Conan story Category:Conan novel